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The apple is a healthy fruit. It is a good source of many nutrients that are good for the body, such as fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium. There are also many different varieties, and its variety of flavors can be said to fit anybody’s tastes. Despite its obvious nutritional value and good flavor, however, is often associated with evil and corruption in many different cultures around the world.

In Greek myth, Eris, the goddess of discord, was said to have thrown a golden apple into one of Zeus’s banquets and caused chaos in the banquet. In the fairy tale of Snow White, the witch used a poisoned apple to put her into a deep slumber. By some accounts in the Bible, the fruit of knowledge that Satan used to tempt Eve and give humans eternal sin was also an apple.

In all of these cases, the apple takes on the role of the instigator of conflict. But why would a fruit as healthful and tasty as an apple take on this role across so many different cultures? In my opinion, it is these very features of the apple that make it easy to portray as a starter of conflict. Because of its benefits, it is desirable to many. In a story, this desire can lead to people fighting over it and conflict.

Basically, the apple symbolizes temptation in the heart of humans. In the case of Greek myth, goddesses battle over the apple because it is supposed to belong to the fairest of them all. In Snow White, she is tempted towards the apple because of its flavor. Eve is tempted to accept the fruit from Satan because of the knowledge she believes it will grant her. They are all tempted by what the apple can offer them, ultimately resulting in conflict.